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Recommended Daily Intakes and Upper Limits for Nutrients

Learn More About the Recommended Daily Intake for Vitamins & Nutrients

What is the right amount of a vitamin or mineral to get each day? To help you, below are recommended intake levels for selected nutrients based on RDAs (Recommended Dietary Allowances) from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. In cases where no RDA is established, the IOM has developed AIs (Adequate Intake) levels, which are shown.

Is it possible to get too much of nutrient? Yes. For this reason, ULs (Upper Tolerable Intake Levels) are also set by the IOM and are provided below. There is an increased risk of an adverse event when exceeding the UL - although sometimes these risks are acceptable when the nutrient is used in medical treatment.

Why do DV (Daily Value) figures on food and supplement labels not coincide with the RDAs and AIs? The DVs are set by the FDA, while the RDAs are set by the IOM (as mentioned above). From 1968 until July 2016, the DVs often did not necessarily reflect the latest intake recommendations from the IOM, nor did they carefully distinguish needs by age and gender. In July 2016, the FDA updated many of the DVs, more closely reflecting the RDAs and adding DVs specifically for infants, children 1 to 3 years of age, and pregnant/lactating women. The DVs are shown in green at the bottom of each table below. (Note: The FDA initially gave large manufacturers and small manufacturers until July of 2018 and 2019, respectively, to update their labels with the new DVs. However, in September 2017, it extend these deadlines to January 1 of 2020 and 2021, respectively. Until then, the old DVs may still appear.)

ConsumerLab.com has full reports on each of these nutrients which include independent tests and reviews of brands of vitamin and supplement products. You can access these ConsumerLab.com (CL) reports using the links below. Also, see our reports on Multivitamins, and reports on other nutrients and popular
supplements.

Sources:Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes From the National Academies (Figures for infants also available.); Daily Values from FDA Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels 2016.Abbreviations: f - female; lact - lactating (breast feeding) female; m - male; preg - pregnant female;
mg - milligram (1,000 milligrams = 1 gram); mcg - microgram (1,000 micrograms = 1 milligram)Notes:1 Figures for vitamin A may also be expressed in mcg rather than IU (International Units). The mcg equivalent of one IU of vitamin A depends on the form, such as retinol, retinyl acetate, or retinyl palmitate. Most labels show value in IU (International Units).
2 UL for vitamin A applies only to retinol forms, not beta-carotene.
3 Folate from supplements and fortified foods is absorbed about twice as well as from regular food if taken on an empty stomach and about 170% as well if taken with food.. If using supplements or fortified foods containing synthetic folate (such as folic acid) as your source, then only half the listed amount is required -- unless already labeled in DFE (Dietary Folate Equivalent).
4 UL for folate applies only to supplements and fortified foods, not regular foods.
5 Figures may also be expressed in IU (International Units). (1 mcg =40 IU) but labels are now required to show values as mcg.
6 RAE = Retinol activity equivalents; 1 microgram RAE = 1 microgram retinol, 2 microgram supplemental β- carotene, 12 micrograms β-carotene, or 24 micrograms α-carotene, or 24 micrograms β-cryptoxanthin (FDA 2016)
7 DFE = Dietary Folate Equivalent; 1 DFE = 1 mcg naturally-occurring folate = 0.6 mcg folic acid taken with food = 0.5 mcg folic acid taken on an empty stomach. Until all labels are updated to reflect the latest rules (which may be as late as 2019), be aware that a product listing 400 mcg of synthetic folate, such as folic acid, actually provides about 667 mcg to 800 mcg DFE, or around twice the adult requirement and close to the adult upper limit (UL). Old labeling will show this to be "100%" of the DV, while it is actually closer to 167% to 200% of the DV.

Sources:Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes From the National Academies (Figures for infants also available.); Daily Values from FDA Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels 2016.Abbreviations: NE - not established; f - female; lact - lactating (breast feeding) female; m - male; preg - pregnant female;
mg - milligram (1,000 milligrams = 1 gram); mcg - microgram (1,000 micrograms = 1 milligram)Notes:1 Because 10% to 30% of older people may malabsorb food bound vitamin B-12, it is advisable for those older than 50 years to meet their RDA mainly by consuming foods with vitamin B12 or a supplement containing vitamin B12.
2 ULs are not established for vitamin B-12.
3 RDA not established for pantothenic acid
4 ULs are not established for pantothenic acid.
5 RDA not established for biotin
6 ULs not established for biotin.
7 RDA not established for choline. Choline is technically not a vitamin, but is often listed with B vitamins.
8 RDA not established for chromium.
9 ULs not established for chromium.